In the past I’ve been as misguided about what really matters as anyone could be. For the last twenty odd years I’ve being trying to make amends. I had fallen prey to the abused versions of the three Ms – money, marketing and media. Don’t get me wrong – money, marketing and media can have […]
“How long did it take you to become an expert in your field?” I was asked. “Well, I’m still learning” I replied. “There are over 7 billion people on the planet and they are all individuals. Until I fully understand them all, at least, I’ll need to keep learning.” “What about you?” I asked my […]
Enterprises are learning that leadership matters much more than they thought. Sensibly, more investment is being made in leadership development. Here are the seven things buyers of leadership development programs need to know before they buy: Context – that the program is deeply contextualised to their business – full of story, culture, challenges and expertise […]
Whether we are a leader or team member, we all seek to be trusted and to trust others. I distil trust into the three “C’s” which must be present to earn trust. Consistent Care and Competence. If we are caring or compassionate yet incompetent, then we cannot earn trust. If we are competent yet do […]
The issue of unsatisfactory accountability seems pervasive across commerce industry and government. I heard a mine manager of a significant mine tell his direct reports, general managers of divisions, “I’m holding you accountable for the delivery of these actions”. The problem was he said it at the end of each of the five consecutive meetings […]
I was bemused then disappointed to see that a British manufacturing company is seeking to appoint an Employee Engagement Manager! The function is within HR, requires the usual survey and data collection and processing and includes supporting leaders in monitoring and improving employee engagement. The salary offered is circa GBP 50,000. With on costs and […]
Karen (not her real) came to me as a referral from her CEO. She is a bright passionate twenty-eight year old with superb technical skills that contribute to the innovative future for her company. After the sudden death of her immediate supervisor and no one else willing to step up from the team, the CEO […]
We don’t have enough leaders who are effectively engaged with their employees. That is the primary reason why ‘employee engagement’ remains a hot topic. How can you expect employees to be engaged in their work if their leaders aren’t effectively engaged with them? Most leaders are very busy. Strategy meetings; studying spreadsheets; spinning sound bites; […]
Not long ago I visited family in Kolkata, India. A family friend had just been appointed CEO of a software company in Kidderpore, a port district in Kolkata and he proudly took me to his office. We parked in his designated parking spot, the closest bay to the building entrance and went into his very […]
True: there are currently more male leaders than female in commerce and government. False: that means that male leaders are more capable than female leaders. Political correctness, equity, equality and culture have all had an impact on perceptions about which gender is best suited for leadership. I say that gender alone has no significance on […]
